In this episode, MassMutual's Brian Trzcinski welcomes Micah Brandenburg, President, Legendary Exits to discuss key findings from MassMutual's latest Business Owner Perspectives Study. Brian and Micah discuss topics ranging from value growth to transition planning to coordinating business and personal planning. The results from the survey indicate there are lots of opportunities for owners to plan, grow and protect their most valuable asset.

Guest: Micah Brandenburg of Legendary Exits

https://legendaryexits.com/

John Bartlett, Founder of Brentwood Growth, joins MassMutual's Brian Trzcinski to discuss what every business owner should know about the process of selling a business. In this episode, John and Brian discuss not just best practices for the sale itself, but also the steps owners should take before and after the sale to ensure the business and the owner have an experience worthy of the sweat equity they've put in building a successful business. 

A buy-sell agreement is one of the most common business planning strategies. It's vital to business continuity in the event of an unforeseen circumstance. And yet, it's one strategy that's often not implemented properly. In this episode, MassMutual's Brian Trzcinkski, a Certified Exit Planning Advisor and Director of Business Owner Markets at MassMutual welcomes Michele Collins, an Estate and Business planning attorney with MassMutual, to discuss the ins, outs and pitfalls of buy-sell agreements.

In this episode Brian welcomes David Curylo, Head of Workplace Retirement Solutions at MassMutual to discuss qualified plans and how they can be instrumental in attracting and retaining employees. Brian and David will discuss all the pros and cons, as well as the implications of the Secure Act that Congress recently passed into law and Pooled Employer Plans that make offering retirement plans even easier for business owners. 

In this episode, we welcome Allen Esrock, Founder of NxtGen Nexus. Allen was raised in a successful family business, but rather than take it over, he made the decision to pursue other career goals. Allen shares what makes the next generation of business owners unique, how best to communicate with them, and why understanding their passions, motivations, and goals can make all the difference when ensuring a successful family business transition. 

In this episode, Value Builder Senior Vice President Laura Ferguson joins us to discuss the importance of business owners documenting and communicating their "endgame." This crucial conversation can help owners more effectively run their businesses today with their desired future goals in mind, as well as determine what they need financially from the business when they are ready to leave, how they wish to transition ownership, and what is a realistic timeline for exit. The sooner you start planning, the more likely you are to exit on your terms. 

If you see divorce on the horizon and you haven't done any planning, it's probably already too late. Michael Lundy, Founding and Managing Partner at Older Lundy Koch Martino joins us for Part 2 on how a business can survive through a divorce.  In this episode, we focus on the legal side of things, which include the division of the business as a marital asset and the buy-out or transition of a spouse from the business. 

Of the six D’s we talk about in business continuity planning, divorce probably gets the least amount of attention. But during divorce proceedings, business owners face an average decline in revenue of $4,000-a-month! As a result, nearly one in 20 business owners closes their doors due to the financial brunt of divorce.  To discuss this important topic, we invited Roxanne Coffelt, a CPA who specializes in business valuations during divorce proceedings, to share her thoughts on how spousal business owners can get through this difficult time, while protecting the business and its value. 

The decision to stay and grow your business versus the decision to leave and transition your business often puts a business owner at a crossroads. So rather than face the decision head-on, it gets delayed and ultimately made without much forethought or planning. In this episode, Brian Trzcinski welcomes Sam Mendelsohn of Value Builder to discuss why this decision is so important, why it must be made with sufficient lead time to be successful, and why considering your future personal and financial needs must be a part of the decision-making process. 

In this epidode, Brian Trzcinski is joined by fellow CEPA and financial planning consultant Jarrod DeSantis of MassMutual to discuss the role the business plays in an owner's personal planning picture. They discuss the three "gaps" all business owners should know--their profit, value and wealth gaps--as well as how planning for the business today can impact an owner's financial outlook in the future.